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Advice

Write a real or fictional advice column, like 'Dear Abby,' for our 'Features' section.
Examples:

Write an ad for a book, movie or game, a local non-profit, or ask a local business to put an ad in our newspaper. Download and print our Advertising Information Packet.
Ads can go anywhere in the paper, maybe near a related story.

Animations

Not for the newspaper, but if you're into creating movies, check this out! Edwin (class of 2008) wrote the original article for the third edition of our 2006-2007 Edison Times. These tips are for our digital animation workshops and day camps.

Calendar and Events

Tell us what events are coming up at school or in the community. You can use the calendar on the Edison web site to help. A calendar or list of events is a form of news.

Comics

Make a comic strip, or an editorial comic. Or make a cartoon to illustrate an article. Check out our tips on comics, photography and illustrating to learn how you can make your comics pop!
Look at some of the comics students have already created:

Editorials

Want to change the world? Write a convincing argument about a topic you care about. Unlike regular news stories, editorials have opinions (backed by facts and logic). Editorials often have their own page. Read some of our previous editorials:

Fiction

Write a story about... anything! Dragons, ghosts, aliens, covered wagons, fairies or an undersea city...?
Fictional news - you *can* even write a 'fake' news story, ad, etc. *IF* it is not about real people or events. For instance, create a 'fake' advice column, news story or interview about a character or event in your favorite book. Check with me before you get started to make sure.
Read stories written by other students for our paper:

Illustrations

Images tell a story, just like words. You can create artwork, web images or photos on paper or on the computer. See also: Comics, Photography. Here are some great illustrations from earlier editions:

Interviews

Talk to someone with an interesting skill, job or idea. Or, interview several people. Start with some good questions to ask. Then, take careful notes or ask permission to record what they say. Report the most interesting parts of your conversation as a dialog or story.

Jokes and Riddles

Share funny jokes or tricky riddles. If you heard them somewhere else, say so! Type them or make a comic or photo with a caption. Comic Life would work for that. See if you can make an old joke or riddle unique.

News Reporting

Write a news story that gives facts and information about something that really happened (or is about to happen), including special school or community events. Examples:

Photos and Photo Essays

Submit a photo or group of related photos with a title, by-line and caption. You can 'dress up' your photos in Skitch or Comic Life. Check out some of the page with photos taken by students:

Poetry

Whether or not it rhymes, we love poetry of all kinds! Check out our writing page for tips on poetry, and read some of the poems we've already published:

Puzzles

Create a crossword puzzle, scrambled words, word search, maze, sudoku or other puzzle.
Examples created by other students:

Recipes

Share a favorite recipe, add a story about why you chose it, and illustrate it. For ideas, see these examples created by other students:

Reviews

Describe a book, game, movie, web site (or even a recipe!), what you liked or didn't like, what would make it better, who might enjoy it and why.

Gaming Review - also include some tips, the game rating, what systems it works on, and the company that makes the game
Book Review - also include the author, the publisher, and the year published
Movie Review - also include the rating, the main actors and director, and the year it came out
Web Site - also include the URL (e.g. 'http://www.coolsite.com'), the site name, and the date you reviewed the site.
Other Reviews - you can review sports, activities, board games, or just about anything you think others should know about.

Read some of our previous reviews:

Science Reports

Tell about an interesting scientific field or discovery. Report on a famous scientist. Explain how to do an experiment. Report on the Project Fair or other science-related activities at Edison.

Cryptids

Features

Features are true stories about interesting events. They can be about activities, hobbies, science or just about anything you can think of.
You can even create a special 1-2 page section or mini paper with its own theme. You can include stories, reports, puzzles, comics and more. In the past, students have created The Daily Prophet (Harry Potter), The Brick Brigade (Legos), Technology Pages, Webkinz, Star Wars and more.
Here are some of the features we've already published:

Sports News

Report on your classmate's teams, the Ducks, or pro teams, write about a famous player, explain how to play a sport, interview an athlete, make a comic or illustration especially about sports, create a trading card, puzzle, jokes, etc., with sports themes.

Check out our previous sports pages:

Surveys

Create a survey and find out what people think! We can use Google Docs to create and publish the survey online. Learn more with our tips for surveys.

More Tips

If you have an idea for the newspaper that's not here, talk to me about it!